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Downloads seem slow based on speedtest results? This comes up way too often, so: most speed tests measure in Megabits per second (Mbps) and most other programs (Steam, Origin, browsers, torrent clients) list download speed in Megabytes per second (MBps). Divide your speedtest Mbps result by 8 to get your expected download speed in MBps.

Best Buy is about to replace my current laptop, which will give me roughly $1,000 to buy whatever. I was looking at laptops and/or tablets and wanted to ask you guys your thoughts. Also, I've never owned a tablet before, but I'd like to get one that allows third party apps (uTorrent) and what not. Any ideas?

Thanks so much for the advice, man. I was originally thinking about going with the Kindle Fire HD, but then someone told me that it didn't do third party apps; then someone told me that it did.

I also started considering the Samsung Galaxy II (10.1") because it apparently allows for third party apps. Also, the Windows Surface is out of the question because the price is too damn high (in a good laptop's range).

If you had 1K to spend and wanted to get a laptop/tablet/TV combo of any or all, what would you go with? Let's just say that you would be willing to pay a bit over 1K if the pricing went over.

I would stay away from the Kindle family. They heavily restrict the apps you can install. While you can work around that with some hacking, it's too much work to worry about, and it's against the open spirit of android.

A Samsung tablet will come with Samsung's branded version of Android called TouchWiz, which some people like and some don't. It's going to look and function a little differently from the stock android that you'll get with a Nexus device, but it's mostly personal preference there. If you plan on ever rooting/installing custom roms (aftermarket firmwares with extra features), then I would stick with the more open Nexus family.

If I had $1K to spend on a tablet, I would still get the Nexus 10. I currently own the Nexus 7 and am very happy with it, but the N10 has an amazing high-density, high resolution 10-inch screen (10.055” 2560x1600 (300 ppi)) and very powerful hardware. The version with the highest amount of storage (32GB) will run you $500.

Sticking with a Google Nexus tablet will ensure that you get updates to Android right as they get released. If you get the Samsung, you'll need to wait a while, possibly several months, before they'll give you the update. This is because they need to build a newer version of that custom TouchWiz software on top of the newer Android version before they push it out to you. Some people think TouchWiz is worth the wait for some of the features it offers, but I personally don't because I prefer stock Android to any skinned version.

Android has native support for VPNs, including an "always-on VPN" feature. If you make a VPN your "always-on" VPN, nothing on the tablet will be allowed to access the internet unless the VPN is connected. If you subscribe to a VPN service to mask your piracy, you'll probably find this feature pretty nifty.

So, I strongly suggest you go for the Nexus 10. It's really a top-of-the-line tablet right now. If you want to spare a little cash, the 7-inch Nexus 7 is a great bargain at (I think) $300 for the 32GB version. It fits well in my hands and I have no complaints about the smaller screen. Hope that helps!

First find out which one is easiest to root. If you want to torrent you will most likely want to play a wide array of media types. This flexibility is dependent upon what has been written and is supported on a particular OS. Do any of these tablets take a Linux? That would be my choice.